07. Who will capture the king?

“Hmm… looks like an envoy.”

 

 

A soldier on horseback came out of the castle, and the gate closed.

 

 

“Hmph. A pathetic trick to buy time. How about we cut off his head and send it back? Or cover him in cum and send him back.”

“Why can’t you think of anything other than that, Count-nim…..”

“Huh?”

 

 

She thought for a moment, then

 

 

“Oh, my…!”

 

 

She covered her mouth with her hand, surprised.

 

 

“I, I didn’t even think of that. As expected, Your Highness is amazing.”

“Don’t imagine weird things!”

“What are you talking about, Your Highness? I didn’t have any strange thoughts at all.”

“Then what were you thinking?”

“To stimulate the fear of the women in the castle, by putting cucumbers in their asses…”

“Shut up!”

 

 

What I expected is exactly what happened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The soldier who came out of the castle soon reached the military camp.

She dismounted from her horse with a clearly nervous expression.

 

 

Several soldiers approached and surrounded her.

 

 

“Your Highness, this person has brought this.”

 

 

A knight took a scroll from her and brought it over.

 

 

“Hmm… a letter from the Princess?”

“Asking to be raped?”

“That’s impossible.”

 

 

When the scroll was unfurled, it contained a soft but powerful calligraphy.

 

 

“This handwriting is Princess Ekaterina’s.”

 

 

Hancock said, glancing at it.

 

 

“You know that?”

“Of course. It’s famous. Originally, the Second Princess of Srodia is famous for her upright character, brilliant mind, and calligraphy. Even in Persia, her writings are traded at high prices.”

“Oho…. I didn’t know.”

 

 

Aran immediately read the letter.

 

 

The content of the letter was more like a secret message than a letter.

 

 

It said that she and the King, Yerina, were not on good terms, that her mother had abandoned her daughter and ran away, so she wanted revenge.

But she didn’t have the power, and Aran did, so she would cooperate to capture the King.

 

 

 

 

Aran took only Hancock and Lamias with him into the barracks.

 

 

 

 

“Of course, it’s a pathetic trick. Asking you to come out alone at night.”

 

 

Hancock was the first to object.

 

 

“But there’s a point. If you bring a bunch of soldiers to meet her, everyone will know? The Princess wants to become the King, so she definitely won’t want that.”

“Hmph. King? Who said she could be King? The King of this land should naturally be His Majesty.”

“You know that’s practically impossible, Count-nim.”

“…You’re getting cocky these days?”

“Even if we push aside Srodia, if the Mei Empire starts to get involved in earnest, there’s no answer. Persia doesn’t want a long war either, right?”

 

 

Lamias ignored Hancock and slowly spoke.

 

 

“So, even if we take it well, we’ll only get a few regions. The Princess is aiming for that.”

“Hmph. I beat Duke 유리 good. The Mei Empire is nothing.”

“It might be possible if we take our time. But I don’t think time is on Persia’s side.”

 

 

As she said, it is virtually impossible to take the entire territory of Srodia.

There will be pressure from the Mei Empire, and these continents are not only made up of three countries.

 

 

“Should we at least hear what she has to say?”

“Your Highness!”

“Anyway, we’re meeting at the midpoint between here and the castle, right? I don’t think there’s a big problem.”

“It’s called the midpoint, but it’s hard to see at night. Besides, that alone will cause you to miss the King!”

“We have Hancock, right?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes. While I meet the Princess as bait, Hancock, go around and catch the King. Then the war will be over.”

“Ah!”

“Indeed, unlike some people, our Highness is bright.”

“Hey. That ‘some people’ isn’t me, is it?”

“As if I would ever mention Count-jeha’s name. It’s just that there’s a person named ‘공유’ that I know, so I was just giving an example.”

“That’s me!”

“Oh my, are you admitting it? That you have a lonely, futile, and useless chest.”

“Sigh. Why do you two always fight? Get along a little.”

“Hmph. How can a cow and a person get along?”

“I agree. An egg fry and a person can’t get along.”

 

 

The two women glared at each other.

 

 

 

 

“Anyway, that’s what we’ve decided, so Hancock, please prepare immediately.”

“But Your Highness, who will command the army when I’m gone? You’re not going to entrust it to this cow, are you? She’s not Persian. She hasn’t even naturalized.”

“I’m here, you know. You’re talking as if I’m going to disappear.”

“Ah, that’s right. Then I’ll trust you with it.”

“…I was originally the army commander, Count-nim.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Night fell.

 

 

In a way, it was being played by the Princess’s trick, but I thought it was still worth it.

 

 

The King will be taken care of by Hancock, and since I’m meeting the Princess alone, I can catch her if things go wrong.

And if that happens, I can easily open those tightly closed castle gates.

 

 

“It’ll be alright.”

 

 

Aran left the military camp, leaving the nervous soldiers behind.

Just in time, the castle gates opened and a woman on horseback was coming out.

 

 

‘I don’t know what she’s thinking, but everything is in our favor. There’s nothing bad about it.’

 

 

Repeating that, I approached for a few minutes.

Finally, the two met.

 

 

 

 

The first thought I had was that she was very beautiful.

 

 

Black hair that sparkled in the moonlight without losing its original color, and eyes with a strange coldness.

And even the noble aura that made you feel that she was noble from birth.

 

 

Most men would be breathless as soon as they stood in front of her.

 

 

 

 

She greeted first.

 

 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ekaterina Lial Srodia, the Second Princess of Srodia.”

 

 

Aran also greeted her in response.

 

 

“I’m Aran Persia, the First Prince of the Persian Empire.”

 

 

Even though I said ‘Empire,’ she didn’t make any particular objections.

Normally, she would have said, ‘Where did you barbarians come from!’

 

 

“First of all, thank you for trusting me and coming out.”

 

 

She bowed her head.

 

 

It wasn’t easy, but she didn’t hesitate.

 

 

“Shall we sit down and talk?”

 

 

She took out a carpet tied to her horse and spread it on the floor.

 

 

“You’re quite unguarded.”

“I called you here.”

 

 

She didn’t guard against Aran at all. Even the carpet she spread on the floor wasn’t that big, so structurally, we had no choice but to sit close together.

 

 

‘Surely she’s not really going to do what Hancock said, is she?’

 

 

The Princess has her pride, so surely she wouldn’t do that.

 

 

“Okay, what is it that you wanted to tell me in detail by calling me all the way here.”

 

 

Aran immediately got to the point.

She smiled slightly.

 

 

“Before that, there’s something I want to confirm.”

“?”

“I heard that you defeated Duke 유리 of the Mei Empire… is that true?”

“It’s true.”

 

 

To be exact, I defeated him with Hancock, but there’s no need to tell her that.

 

 

“I see.”

 

 

She nodded once.

 

 

“I want to be King. But my mother hates me too much. If it weren’t for this war, I would never have become the Crown Princess.

And as long as my mother is alive and well, there’s no hope.”

“So you’re telling me to catch her?”

“Yes. That’s right. But I can’t just send you away. I have to fight on the surface too.”

“In other words, you’re going to drag us into your play?”

“That’s right. But don’t be too upset. It’s not a bad story for the Prince either.”

“…Did you just say Prince?”

“Yes. If I become King, I will recognize Persia as an Empire. I will say that to the Mei Empire too.”

 

 

That’s a pretty unconventional statement.

 

 

But Aran was indifferent.

 

 

“Persia is already an Empire, even if you don’t recognize it.”

“Yes. That’s why I’m calling it an Empire.”

 

 

Her way of speaking was strange.

 

 

“And, something will come back to the Prince too.”

“For example?”

 

 

She brought her hand to her chest.

 

 

“For example, my mother or something.”

“Huh?”

 

 

I was surprised.

Not herself, but I can get her mother?

 

 

“This is high-level information, but I’ll tell you a little bit. The Mei Empire doesn’t want a full-scale war with Persia either. So they’re preparing for negotiations.”

“…”

“In those negotiations, it’s been pre-arranged to give my mother to Your Highness in exchange for ending the war.”

“……Does the King of Srodia know about this?”

“Hehehe.”

 

 

She smiled bewitchingly.

 

 

“How could she? My mother must suffer from unwanted things for the rest of her life. Just like I did.”

“…”

“She’s a bit old, but if you’re going to use her as a sex doll, she’s worth enough. She was once known as the most beautiful woman in Srodia.”

“…”

 

 

Aran felt a serious distortion.

No matter how much you hate her, how can you treat your mother like that?

 

 

“Or… you can sell her to a nearby slave trader. Hehehe.”

“…You’re out of your fucking mind.”

“I think so too. Wouldn’t it be strange if I was normal? I grew up in that kind of family.”

 

 

She smiled strangely once again.

I felt like I was looking at a witch.

 

 

“How about it? Isn’t this enough? You can gain the reputation of catching the King, and you can control a woman who was once a noble King as you please.”

 

 

Aran got up from his seat.

 

 

“If that’s the case, I don’t need to negotiate with you.”

 

 

I was inwardly amused by the absurd story, but there was no gain.

 

 

“Do you think you can catch the King?”

“Of course. Even without your help, that’s enough.”

“Hehehe. Is that so?”

“?”

“I know that Your Highness’s confidant has moved. His name is… Hancock, was it?”

“…So you’ve planted a spy.”

“No. It’s just that my informant is competent.”

 

 

She looked up at Aran.

 

 

“Your Highness can never catch the King. Because I hid her.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“I hid her with an artifact. Even a Tier 6 knight won’t be able to find her.”

“…So, you’ll tell me if I cooperate?”

“I need to have that much of a device to negotiate, right? You’ll be quite hurt if you miss it now… It’s better to trade with me.”

“…”

 

 

Aran stared at her for a moment before sitting back down.

 

 

She smiled.

 

 

“There’s not much for Your Highness to do. Catch the King, and then arrange the position in a direction that’s favorable to me in the future negotiations. It’s not difficult, right?”

“…Listening to you now, it sounds like you’re saying you’ll accept Persia’s interference?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m willing to accept some internal interference, as long as it’s not too severe. And Your Highness will be doing that. Doesn’t that appeal to you?”

“…”

 

 

Aran thought hard.

 

 

It’s definitely not a bad deal.

No, it’s too good of a condition for Aran.

There’s nothing to lose, but a lot to gain.

 

 

So it felt like a trap.

 

 

“You’re hesitating.”

“There’s no guarantee that you’ll keep your word. What if you just overthrow the King, ascend to the throne, and ignore me? Then I think I’ll get a little emotional wound. Along with anger.”

“Is that so? Then… will you come a little closer to me?”

“?”

“It seems like you lack trust, so I’ll give you trust.”

 

 

She brought her hand to her shoulder and slightly pushed aside the clothes that were draped over it. Her fair shoulder was revealed, and her breasts began to show slightly with the continued touch.

 

 

“…What are you up to?”

“It’s not a trick. This is all I can give you. Come on, come closer.”

 

 

She wrapped her arms around Aran’s neck.

 

 

Aran was unknowingly drawn in.

 

 

While being dumbfounded and habitually trying to bring his hand over,

 

 

“You’ll believe me if you become my slave.”

 

 

With those words, a sharp pain was embedded in the vicinity of his neck.